China’s Largest Website Alibaba Helps Gay Chinese Couples Get Married in the US

Alibaba, China’s largest shopping platform, has thrown their weight behind gay and lesbian marriage by launching a Valentine’s Day contest in which seven lucky same-sex Chinese couples won a trip to West Hollywood, California to get married. The contest, which first appeared on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace (like eBay) had the website’s users voting for their favorite couples. Visitors looked through short videos of the couples that explains how they met and why they want to get married. The winning seven pairs were brought to the US thanks to a bedding company called Bliss. There is no recognition of same-sex marriage in China, but the tech firms celebration of marriage equality is seen as a major step for the country’s LGBT population.

West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath officiated the wedding ceremonies at a city library for six gay and one lesbian couple. “We’re so honored and happy to have them in West Hollywood,” Horvath said. “We’ve long been a community committed to equal rights for all people, and advancing and protecting the rights especially of our LGBT community.”